Helene

Bonnette, I know this may sound like a silly question, but do you see an amazon search box next to the logo now?

Hallelujah!

Actually, we didn't ask We asked people to post if they had technical issues or saw anomalies. That said, we fully expected members to comment about the change, and you have. Re: the Ballet Alert! site, here's the URL: http://www.balletalert.com/ The link that Mme. Hermine posted above was from an internet archiving function, the Wayback Machine, not the site itself. I think Quiggin's point was to be sure that search engines find us when people search for "Ballet Talk". Unfortunately, that search match is what drives so much Ballet Talk for Dancers traffic to our site when they really want BT4D.

Just when you think it's safe to be jaded, to think "ho, hum, "Nutcracker", snooze", Alastair Macaulay goes to Arizona and writes: I hate when that happens. He also wrote, It is very gratifying to see national recognition for this lovely, young dancer who was striking in smaller roles, among them "Four Temperaments" and "La Valse", before assuming leads. Did anyone see the production live? Please tell us about it if you did

That's great news -- I'm glad they're touring.

Many thanks, Mme. Hermine! I've started to add the "!"

Were we ever " Ballet Alert!" ? Or were we "Ballet Alert" ?

After over half a decade as "Ballet Talk", we are returning to our original name, "Ballet Alert", named after Arlene Croce's fictional New York City Ballet cast alert phone tree. Our new board URL is: www.balletalert.invisionzone.com Our logo is "red"; hopefully this will distinguish us more visually from Ballet Talk for Dancers. carbro, our patient registrar, fields many registration attempts that are meant for BT4D. A lot of what you see on the screen are actually graphics that will take a bit of effort to change, and we will clash a little bit for a while. The amazon.com box disappeared from the header at the top of each page next to the logo before this change happened, and I'm working on trying to reinstate it. (The code that amazon.com is providing has changed, which may be the root of the issue.) I've done some preliminary testing, and so far, old links from emails, bookmarks, and URLs embedded in posts are being redirected to the new URL. I wasn't forced to re-log in after the change. and to the kind folks who host our software for making the move as seamless as possible. I haven't tested everything -- I'll continue to poke -- and if you are having problems or see anomalies, please post them here or send us email via the "Contact Us" link at the top of the page.

The updates are in progress. You may have trouble with existing links until we can troubleshoot everything.

Is there room for me, too? Please tell us about what you see

The photo of Kirkland is Grahamesque. Tall is overrated.

Yes, Woetzel's description of Finley/Fairchild was I didn't even have to read the caption scrolling up from the shot of Bolle to know it was he. Kistler's dress in #25, "Gotta Dance" was doing a dance of its own. Has there ever been a bad photo of Merce Cunningham?

This is a heads up that we're going to have a board update that will required some coordination, and there may be a time over the next few days where the board is down, looks a bit odd, and has some broken URLs. We'll keep you posted as best we can.

I've tried to figure out how this works to no avail. I do know that selecting the "I haven't read option" shows fewer results, since it will eliminate the latest thread you are on. (Or at least that was my experience until I changed.) In order to maximize the server, views are stored separately, and then the stored table updates the main database periodically, instead of instantaneously. It's possible that this update process auto-updates the "last active" date as of the last update if you are logged in. I don't know of any "push" mechanism in this software that does periodic updates like email programs usually do. There could be a secondary program that drives activity and pushes the "last active" date to the date of the update. I don't think our amazon.com box does while the browser is open, but I know Google, through its cookies, sucks in a lot of info for the company, and perhaps it or another program or the browser is driving this. We have so much at the top of the forum that people have to scroll to get to most forums, including the company forums, and adding anything else to the top of the screen will exacerbate that. That's always been our trade-off. New topics are included in "Recently Added Topics" in the right-hand column of the homepage. That info is pulled globally, and once replaced is gone. I've never noticed that the box has disappeared, but it may be possible that there's a system cut-off (ex: 24 hours), and if there is no new topic during that time, the box is suppressed. It is possible to subscribe to specific forums of interest, i.e., get email or email/board notification that a new topic/thread has been posted. Notification can be immediate, delayed (notification only if the system doesn't see you as "active" by its own definition), daily, and weekly. Board notification option is called "No Notification"; the only difference is that "Subscription" notification on the board is now in the right-hand column on the home page under the "Recently Added Topics" list, under "Watched Content", which has separate tags for Forums and Topics (threads). This is a good option for people who want to minimize their email, but it all may be driven by the same parameters as the little orange arrow next to the topic name. At least it will not assume that you've read the actual posts, and as far as I see, as long as there is an unread post in a watched forum or topic, the forum or topic will be on the list. There is a "Watch Forum" or "Watch Topic" button next to the "Post New Topic" button on every forum and sub-forum page. If there are stickies at the top of the forum, the buttons appear under the stickies. "Topic" has been used intermittently to describe threads in this software for the last two versions and is not new with the latest version. However, in the latest version, all buttons and tabs are graphics files, a change from when an easily configured text file would drive button/tab text, and to change them not only means creating new graphics files in the correct colors and size with the proper file names, but also getting our database updated, which cannot be done through normal control tools. That would add a complexity to upgrades that we're not prepared to manage around our day jobs, since we try to keep the board down as little as feasibly possible and the list of customizations manageable. (It's already large.) That's another trade-off. I get new topic as well as new post notifications by email. Of course, reading the email doesn't affect the system at all. Whether the notification process does or doesn't is something for which I don't see a pattern.

Oh, excellent! Please tell us about it!

I'm hugely disappointed that Pelleas was not given an HD broadcast. I heard the premiere last Friday on Sirius radio, and Gerald Finley was sensational. I tried to figure out a way to get to NYC for this, but to no avail.

After your vivid, detailed description, SanderO, I don't have to see it to see what it's like.

Fixed. I unbroke the break I made.

Mravinsky's Shostakovich symphonies are fantastic, too.

I see Merrill Ashley in the corps of "Concerto Barocco". I lasted about three minutes before I became carsick.

We have new members who are confused about where to post, and we've changed the forums enough to confuse our older members. This is meant to be a cheat sheet on where to post what. The Moderators may make move posts if they are in the wrong forum or remove them if they don't meet the guidelines. Our mission is to be a discussion site; information/news is secondary to our purpose. We may also post the same information in multiple places for Administration purposes. So that you don't read until the end only to find you shouldn't or can't post something, here are the Cliff Notes for those situations: Please do not post or try to post: Info on Auditions, Pointe Shoes, Dance Classes, Summer Intensives, Making Tutus and Other Costumes, Parenting Dancers. You will need to go to Ballet Talk for Dancers. We are separate boards -- our purpose is to discuss classical ballet -- and you will need to register there. BT4D is a treasure, and we are proud to be their sister board. Unofficial News. In short, this is any news for which you don't have a citation from an official source: ex: a company, a critic in the mainstream press, an artist. For more info, please click here. General News: General news is posted in the Links forum on the Links thread dedicated to the date published. Please do not duplicate this information unless you are planning to discuss the article. Reviews from Critics: Reviews appear in the Links forum. Please do not post them in the Company forums, unless you've seen the performance and have a comment on a review. The Company forums are for reviews from our members. Duplicate Posts. There are a few exceptions -- if you want to comment on articles in Links, or if it's a "Heads Up" (please see below) -- but, as a rule, we will remove them without notice. Upcoming Regular Season Performances: These are listed in the Calendar for major companies, which you can access by clicking "Calendar" from the menu under the logo, and the week's Calendar listings are displayed at the bottom of the homepage. (Screen shots below). Links/Calendar Events: Permissions to these forums are restricted. Quotes over 250 Words or In Direct Violation of Copyright. We will edit/delete long/whole article quotes and posts that violate copyright. Where to Post: When You Join, Tell Us About Yourself: --> Welcome. If you've just registered and have posted, and you can't find the post on the board, chances are you did not click the confirmation email we sent. (The "Group" in your profile will be "Users Awaiting Email Confirmation".) Please check your mailbox/spam folder and complete registration. Unfortunately, your post won't show up immediately after your Group changes. To Announce Ballet-related Events like TV/Radio/Internet Broadcasts, Tours, Guest Appearances, Book Signings, Master Classes, New Websites and Updates. : --> Heads Up! Discussions about Articles in Links: *To Expand on a Review: *Single company: --> Company (Sub) Forums under the appropriate region. (If there is no Company Forum, in the "Other..." forum for the region) *Multiple companies: Multiple Company Reviews and Events OR Galas, Competitions, Festivals, Symposia, and Commemorations *Guest artists: Company (Sub) Forum for the company that produced the ballet. It is fine to create a post in the Guest Artist's Company Forum to link to the discussion. *General Ballet Issues: --> Ballet News and Issues *Aesthetic Issues: --> Aesthetic Issues *Discussion of a Critic: --> Writings on Ballet *Ballet Movies, TV Appearances, Ballet Films, Ballet DVD's and VHS: --> Ballet Videos, Films, Broadcast Performances, Photos, and Interviews Season's Announcements: Company (Sub) Forum Discussions About Special Company Events/Presentations, TV/Radio/Internet Broadcasts, Upcoming Ballet-Related Exhibitions: As appropriate by subject --> Company (Sub) Forum OR Ballet Videos, Films, Broadcast Performances, Photos, and Interviews OR Galas, Competitions, Festivals, Symposia, and Commemorations OR Multiple Company Reviews and Events Your Reviews: *For single company performances: --> Company (Sub) Forum OR Recent Ballet Performances* *For multiple company performances/galas: --> Multiple Company Reviews and Events OR Recent Ballet Performances* Critiques of Published Critics : --> Writings on Ballet Tours : --> Company (Sub) Forum Obituaries : --> Ballet News and Issues > Obituaries (sub-forum) Info about Dancers : * Current Company Dancers : --> Company (Sub) Forum * Current Freelancers : --> Dancers * Retired Dancers : --> Is the dancer renowned across the region or world? If "yes" --> Dancers . If renowned locally or your favorite corps dancer or soloist, we may not move it, but you'll probably get more traffic on the Company (Sub) Forum . If It's Ballet-Related and You're Not Sure Where to Put It: --> Everything Else Ballet. If we find a more appropriate place, we'll move it for you. Dance Other Than Classical Ballet: --> Modern and Other Dance *We often move these into Company (Sub) Forums or Multiple Company Reviews and Events after several months.

The Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier from NYCB will open the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, 23 December, at 9:30am EST. http://broadwayworld.com/article/NY_Ballet_Sugerplum_Fairy_And_Friends_Ring_Stock_Exchange_Opening_Bell_1223_20101216 According to this article, the opening can be viewed online starting at 9:15am on www.nyse.com.

Jim Sharpe of KFYI joined Ballet Arizona for class on the Symphony Hall stage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjL7mthnkEo&feature=player_embedded

I have a special place in my heart for Isaac Hernandez, who described celebrating Hanukkah with other company members. Hellimets and Bruce Sansom were both very charming.

One thing I noticed from doing the Bolshoi schedule for the Calendar is that they have a limited number of performances each year, and the performances are interspersed in the rep. But they're not relying upon the ballet to fund the rest of the season.